Q: You've said that the Steppenwolf production of "Buried Child" was also a catalyst for the play. What was it about seeing that production that sparked "Hir”?A: I think I was enamored with Sam Shepard's language and, it's the thing of American drama when it deals with family, that it's always not just about that family but about all of America. And I guess I was interested in finding my way into that world because when I look at "Buried Child" — I think it's one of the great plays — I don't feel like it's telling a progressive, liberal, queer story at all. So I was interested in how gay people or trans people or queer people were never allowed to be anything more than what we are in film and television. I'm fascinated by how everybody else kind of gets to represent the whole country. So I thought, why don't I write a play where where the metaphor for America is actually the trans character? So you're relating, or not relating, to the trans character in the way you relate to the current circumstances of America. Because we are in transition right now. [emphasis added]